Does any one know anyting about them? I do feel a little ignorant, but i noticed you guys talking about how scary they are. I'll be going to Japan for a while and thought it would be good to know a little about such stuff. What do they do in reality?

Do any of you have any accounts of how they behave and stuff like that? I might accidentally offend one so I thought it would be good to know how to react. Should i run? My friend said that we are staying somewhere close to one of their 'territories' and I'm quite careless so...

Although, in all earnestness, recently the yakuza have been getting involved in more and more legit business. And they won't simply hurt you because you offended them. You'd have to barge in to one of their hideouts and start killing people to really get a reaction

However, that doesn't mean you should go wandering around dark allies at night.

karelhof wrote:why do people in japan don't like to talk about it? are they really so powerful then?and what are the parts of movies I musntn't belive?:|

well, the things like: " if they do something wrong they cut their fingers" that was before, now the police takes away anyone who has not all the fingers..we dont like talking about them because they are dangerous

Last edited by taku on Wed 05.31.2006 10:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Gangsters everywhere are dangerous. The thing about Yakuza, however, is that they tend to leave ordinary folks alone. As long as you aren't doing anything illegal, they won't mess with you.

So my advice would be to not sell drugs in established territory...

Actually, though, what I find scarier than the Yakuza are the bosozoku and the yankees. They are social dropouts with nothing to lose, and wouldn't think twice about vandalizing property or getting into fistfights.

And I can tell you from experience that if you get in a fight with one of them, no one will intervene to help you.

So if someone like that tries to mess with you - just walk (or run, depending on the situation) away.

Actually, though, what I find scarier than the Yakuza are the bosozoku and the yankees. They are social dropouts with nothing to lose, and wouldn't think twice about vandalizing property or getting into fistfights.

XD i don't sell drugs and I don't usually barge in to chop people so I think i'll be fine. Then again bullets and knifes don't usually have eyes and so I should try to keep outta the way. How do you guys know if something bad is going to break out? Do they announce it so that the civilian can take cover first?

Actually, though, what I find scarier than the Yakuza are the bosozoku and the yankees. They are social dropouts with nothing to lose, and wouldn't think twice about vandalizing property or getting into fistfights.

kangaroo_joey wrote:Then again bullets and knifes don't usually have eyes and so I should try to keep outta the way. How do you guys know if something bad is going to break out? Do they announce it so that the civilian can take cover first?

If you somehow managed to accidentally find a Yaukuza hideout, give the correct password to the guard at the door, not get kicked out by all the guys hanging out inside, and finally stumble into the back room where the Yakuza bosses are meeting right as a fight breaks out-- I'd say your luck is so bad there's no way to avoid getting killed in the crossfire.

Seriously, what Taku meant about not believing the movies is that fights don't just break out in the middle of the street with no warning. In fact, fights don't break out, period. The whole key to the Yakuza system (just like the American Mafia) is to avoid detection. You make people "disappear", you don't mow them down with a bunch of witnesses around.

Needless the say, the only people who need "disappearing" are Japanese people who have been involved in Yakuza activities for quite some time. You will never be targeted, and you will never see any Yakuza violence. That is, unless you refuse to pay one of their prostitutes.

karelhof wrote:why do people in japan don't like to talk about it? are they really so powerful then?and what are the parts of movies I musntn't belive?:|

well, the things like: " if they do something wrong they cut their fingers" that was before, now the police takes away anyone who has not all the fingers..we dont like talking about them because they are dangerous

This is where The Netherlands differ from Japan. I got to say Japan sounds good but one thing bothers me and that one thing happens to be the strongest point in my (and Karelhof's) country: Speaking your mind. The politeness levels are important there but that also makes it that you dont say what you think to one another. Here we have Hell's Angels and believe me everybody talks open and out loud about them, because we want the problem solved and gone. Thats something I dont see in Japan, but maybe Taku-san can tell me if this is right or not.

Good luck with studying everybody and I hope one day I will be able to pick it back up.

The police have cracked down on Yakuza activity a lot. The Yakuza aren't nearly as big and powerful as they once were. Historically, organized crime seems to swell in times of economic hardships (i.e. the American Mafia during the depression, the Yakuza after WWII).

The politeness levels in Japan doesn't mean people don't talk about what is important to them. Once you become friends with someone, you can say whatever you want. You won't talk to your boss about "the man",* but you probably wouldn't do that in any other country anyway. You would, however, gripe about it with your coworkers, along with any other social problems you feel a need to talk about.

* "the man" is a common American term refering to those in power; CEO's and bosses of companies that earn all the benefits of their employees' hard work, while the employees don't get adequately compensated.

What I had read is, that most of the Bars/Discos whatever, with the infamous "Japanese only" signs, are lead by Yakuza

but as everyone already said, its not like that you'll be shot or beatup if you cross someones way. i think its much more dangerous (and possible..)to get trouble with someone drunk or yankees (as allready said)

Yakuza members are human and no fight machines with only kill kill kill destroy in their minds

Last edited by aKuMu on Thu 06.01.2006 5:07 am, edited 1 time in total.